TITLE: A favour returned
RATING: PG (for mild implication of homosexuality)
GENRE: General (with some humour elements)
ARCHIVE: Yes, please contact though (address below).
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter, place names (unless otherwise stated) and other characters (unless otherwise stated) are all a creation of J.K Rowling © 2002. Infringement of copyright acknowledged. No money is being made from this work of fan fiction and accepts all responsibility for being in the public domain.

A favour returned

Severus Snape fidgeted uncomfortably, and stared down at his empty breakfast plate. He could hear the story regarding the boggart incident being discussed at almost every table in the Great Hall - no one appeared to have tired of hearing how he had been dressed up in Neville Longbottom's grandmothers clothing!

"Are you actually going to eat anything, or just stare at your plate?" Professor McGonagall asked him gently. She knew that the boggart incident had upset him slightly, everyone on the staff knew that, and everyone had been speaking softly to him, as if trying to reassure him it was all right.

"I'm not hungry," he murmured, pushing the plate away.

"You've got to eat something, Severus."

"You're not my mother," he snapped suddenly, "so please kindly stop mothering me!" Several nearby pupils turned curiously in his direction, after hearing the snap of angry voices from the staff table.

McGonagall put her hand on his arm, "I'm not trying to be your mother, Severus. Now please, eat something." She pushed the bowel of sausages towards him. Snape however stood, threw his napkin down onto the table and began to walk away. "Severus!" McGonagall called after him, "where on earth are you going!"

He turned back to her, "if you must know, I need to relieve me bladder, and therefore I am going to the lavatory, and I would kindly ask you not to follow me." He stalked off out of the Great Hall, leaving Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall to exchange concerned looks.

"I'll go after him." Lupin said, putting down his napkin and rising from the table.

"Remus, leave him." Dumbledore said softly, "he'll be alright."

"Maybeﾅ Albus, I seem to have caused his foul mood, I think itﾒs only right if I try and apologise."

"If you must, Remus. But from experience, it is best to leave him alone."

Lupin smiled softly, "maybe so, well, if he turns me into a slug or something promise to turn me back?"

"We promise." Dumbledore replied, a small smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

xxxxx

"Severus!" Lupin called as he spotted the retreating back of Severus Snape crossing the entrance hall. Snape turned and regarded Lupin with a calculating sideways glance. "Wait." He jogged up to Snape.

"What do you want?" Snape asked coldly.

"We need to talk."

"There's nothing to say," Snape cut in massively and turned began to walk slowly away.

"Severus, please, look, I know, I can't change what's happenedﾅ Just give me a chance to explain!" Lupin pleaded with Snape.

Snape turned sharply and headed back to Lupin. He stood directly in front of the taller man, and despite being the shorter of the two his menacing stance was enough to frighten anyone. Snape looked up, his face inches away from Lupin's. "Explain how you couldn't wait to humiliate me?" He said in a cold undertone, almost a whisper, "explain how you just wanted to gain your classes trust and respect?" Lupin looked down. "There's nothing you can say, I've heard it all before."

Lupin looked at Snape, he knew what he was talking about. "I'm really sorryﾅ Iﾅ I asked her to speak to you," Snape snorted slightly with disgust, "I didn't know what to say to you!"

"You don't have to say anything." Snape continued in his cold undertone. "You managed to make a mess of my life once and I suggest you leave me alone from now on."

Lupin looked at Snape, concerned lined his young face. "Stop torturing yourself, you don't have to be alone all the time."

"It's better that way."

"Is it?" He placed his hands on Snape's shoulders and spoke softly. "Don't do this to yourself. You need to talk to someone, you need to let people explain. Just because you feel that you have to be alone doesn't make it right."

"Stop before you go to far." Snape suddenly snapped harshly. "Lupin, you of all people should know that my life is my life and I can chose what I want to do. I paid my debut, and see how people treat me? They don't want me around them, so I say away from them. Stop meddling in other peoples lives, leave things as they are." He looked at Lupin's hands. "I suggest you take your hands off me, before any more rumours start and someone puts that convenient handbag detail into context." Snape stepped away from Lupin.

"What the hell do you mean?" He asked angrily.

Snape continued in a sarcastic tone, "isn't it curious how you conveniently reminded Longbottom about his grandmothers handbagﾅ Couldn't let him forget that little detail, could you?

Lupin suddenly laughed, "Severus, as if they understood!"

"In case you've forgotten, Lupin, in the muggle world, which most of your students come from, that particular stereotype is well known."

"Their kids, they won't understand."

"Maybe not, but it only takes one or two conveniently dropped hints for someone like Hermione Granger to click." He suddenly smiled coldly, "you'd best be careful, Lupin, or I might just return the favour." He stalked off smugly in the direction of the dungeons. Lupin stood staring after him for a moment, before shaking his head, turning and heading back to the Great Hall to finish what remained of his breakfast.

To the readers of "Harry Potter and the Search for the Meaning of Life at Hogwarts" (all three of you hehe). There is perhaps going to be a delay in the next chapter, the female guinea pig decided to nibble through the keyboard wire on my computer - restricted to the family computerﾅ I'm the type of person that likes to write late at nightﾅ Thanks for reading it though!